Google Wants You to Make Money - Overture Wants You to Spend It
I've been in a few discussions about "Which is better: Google Adwords or Overture" and the answer is always a resounding AdWords from me and from many others as well. I've tried both and the only way I can sum it up best is:
Google wants you make money, but Overture just wants you to spend it.
In everything Google does, it's clear that they want you to get a great return on your investment, to write great ads that encourage click throughs...and basically get the best value for your cash. Here's why:
- You can bid on any phrase at Google. At Overture, all phrases must have a minimum of 100 searches. Many have argued with me and said why would you bid on those low searches phrases anyway, but my question is why WOULDN'T YOU? There is no limit to the number of keywords you can have...so add 'em all in.
- You can easily optimize your ads - You can post up to three ads per ad group on Adwords and track which is most effective. This allows you to test headlines and copy to get the best clickthroughs.
- Exact match, phrase match, etc. - When I tried Yahoo, they didn't have this option, so correct me if I'm wrong. But Google allows you to choose to have your keywords displayed only when specific words are being shown or in a specific order.
- Ads served right away and explanations when ads are disabled - Who else hates waiting for Overture to approve your bids? Google serves them right away and if they disable any ads, they actually tell you WHY. With Overture, you just have to guess as their explanations are not clear.
- No minimum spending - Overture takes $20 out of your account each month, if you don't spend that much in clicks. Google has no minimums.
- 5 cent minimum bid - You can find lots of juicy keyword phrases at Google for under 10 cents. Overture bidding starts at 10 cents and can be realy fierce.
- Ranking not just based on bid, but ad effectiveness - This is the ultimate! You don't have to spend the most to be ranked well for your phrases. Google ranks according to bid AND your clickthrough rate. So, write good ads and Google rewards you.
The ultimate decision of where to run your PPC campaign is up to you. I'd rather deal with a company that wants my business to do well instead of just spend money. :)
Google wants you make money, but Overture just wants you to spend it.
In everything Google does, it's clear that they want you to get a great return on your investment, to write great ads that encourage click throughs...and basically get the best value for your cash. Here's why:
- You can bid on any phrase at Google. At Overture, all phrases must have a minimum of 100 searches. Many have argued with me and said why would you bid on those low searches phrases anyway, but my question is why WOULDN'T YOU? There is no limit to the number of keywords you can have...so add 'em all in.
- You can easily optimize your ads - You can post up to three ads per ad group on Adwords and track which is most effective. This allows you to test headlines and copy to get the best clickthroughs.
- Exact match, phrase match, etc. - When I tried Yahoo, they didn't have this option, so correct me if I'm wrong. But Google allows you to choose to have your keywords displayed only when specific words are being shown or in a specific order.
- Ads served right away and explanations when ads are disabled - Who else hates waiting for Overture to approve your bids? Google serves them right away and if they disable any ads, they actually tell you WHY. With Overture, you just have to guess as their explanations are not clear.
- No minimum spending - Overture takes $20 out of your account each month, if you don't spend that much in clicks. Google has no minimums.
- 5 cent minimum bid - You can find lots of juicy keyword phrases at Google for under 10 cents. Overture bidding starts at 10 cents and can be realy fierce.
- Ranking not just based on bid, but ad effectiveness - This is the ultimate! You don't have to spend the most to be ranked well for your phrases. Google ranks according to bid AND your clickthrough rate. So, write good ads and Google rewards you.
The ultimate decision of where to run your PPC campaign is up to you. I'd rather deal with a company that wants my business to do well instead of just spend money. :)
2 Comments:
Alice, you make great points, but I strongly disagree with the last one.
Google does not rate your ad on effectiveness (conversion rate). They rate your ad on clickthrough rate (CTR). These are very different.
When people who have no interest in buying your product click on your ads, you get poorer and Google gets richer.
Google rewards ads that have strong general appeal and thus get high clickthrough rates, such ads make the most money for Google.
Ads that appeal strongly only to potential customers make money for advertisers when they are run on almost any PPC except Adwords. Google makes it very expensive to run such ads, as clear, laser targeted ads generally have a low CTR.
I agree with you Alice. Google lets poor people like me spend $5/mth on ads. Overture wants people who spend thousands per month. And Google gives me wide distribution on my ads.
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